Hello there! If you're reading this article, I can assume that you are suffering from what many authors (and artists, too, I guess) call writers' block.

This particular illness occurs when you, the creator of masterpieces, has a lack of ideas and thoughts. The creative juices in your mind just seem to be gone. You wonder if you should force yourself to write, or draw, or whatever. DO NOT DO IT. Forced writing will sound (to the reader) like a dying lawn mower smelling of cat urine that's being shoved through a garbage disposal. Yes. That bad.

Instead of attempting the impossible and forcing yourself to create something that won't be your best, follow some (or all) of these ideas... and be cured.

1. Tell something what you are trying to say. We'll say.. a pillow or stuffed animal, preferably something that has a face, so you have focus. Tell it where you want your story to go. Bounce ideas off the creature. It can't respond, but you will talk yourself out of your own issues.

2. Make a list of nouns.. we'll say, a list of 20. Next, take a specific amount of time--we'll say, five to ten minutes--and write as much as you can about the noun. Define its color and personality, and allow your mind to roam free. Turn off your computer monitor or close your laptop for this exercise. Your mind will take you where it wants you to go.

3. Make a stupid rule. This will force you to consider your story instead of simply writing it. For example.. do not start a paragraph with a vowel. Or, limit the words "there is" and "there are" because these words are GENERIC and should NEVER be used. I will tell you a rule that I abide by when writing something: I will NEVER use the phrases "there is," "there are," "there once was," etc etc at the beginning of a sentence. Avoiding these words WILL help you DRAMATICALLY as a writer. These words kill your creativity, people.

4. Think of what you don't want. Consider what you DON'T want to happen in your novel. Even if you don't yet know what you want, deep inside you, you already know what you don't want. Make a list if you must.

5. Write a letter. All of us have lost ones dear to us (and if you haven't, you're lucky, but you can still try this technique), so write a letter to that special someone. Tell them about your life first, then that you miss them, of course. Tell them about friends who have been bothering you, or colleagues at work who grate on your nerves... then, tell them about your novel and what it's going to be about. You'd be surprised at where your mind will go, since you've gotten it warmed up by writing about life events. Then, you can either keep the letter, or burn it. I feel that if you write a letter to one you've lost and burn it, the one you love can read the message on the smoke as it rises.

6. Listen to a song that is foreign to you. I don't mean one you haven't heard... I mean one that is sung in a language that you do not understand. Though you cannot understand the words, you will understand the meaning. Trust me on this one. There's a Japanese song called First Love by Utada Hikaru. I love it deeply. Some of it is in Japanese, and some of it is in English. Though I can't understand most of the words, I know it is about love... and it is a beautiful song. It helps me write when I can only feel the feeling, and not be tied down by the words.

7. Do not write what you think others want to read. Write from your heart. Do not write for anyone but yourself. You are writing because that is what you love to do, because you want to convey a message that you hold dear to you. If you don't love to write, you should reconsider your true purpose. Impressive writing comes from those who speak from their heart and soul, not those who aim to impress. Hold no false illusions: everyone can BE a writer, but not everyone loves writing enough to do so. We all have stories to tell, whether they are realized or not. Yet many people do not have the drive to continue with their story--they let it die in their heart. Are you that person, or are you the one who wants to share something with others?

8. Write a journal. It can be a journal from your perspective or from your character's perspective. From your perspective, it might read, "Well, my character Bianca needs to meet the high priestess Anietta, but they can't just meet anywhere. They must meet somewhere where their meeting seems like a lucky encounter, like at a market or something. Or like an event of some sort..." And aha! I can already think of many places where Bianca could meet Aniette. Or, a character perspective could look like this: "Today, as I was riding Epona through the fields, I heard the strangest noise. My curiosity got the best of me, as it always does, and I soon found myself gazing upon a competition of sorts." And there you go! Bianca will ultimately meet Anietta at this event. Notice how, from the character's perspective, you will learn more about your own character. From what I wrote, compare both examples. The character perspective shows you that Bianca is a curious, adventurous character. My own perspective does not show that. You could also write blogs or whatever about your own life and then read back on them when you feel the writer's block.

9. Grab a favorite book of yours. Make a copy of the first few pages--you can scan/print them, or whatever. Anyway, begin writing or typing them, whichever you prefer. Rewrite them exactly as they appear. Do not use these in your novel, else you might be sued (laughter). But seriously.. copying their work will remind you of why you love the book. It shouldn't take more than a few pages to get you back into the groove of writing, so write away!

10. One of the most common causes of the Block is this: you feel that what you are writing smells worse than rotting cat feces. In other words, you think your writing is garbage. Don't be afraid to write crap for right now--you will always have the chance to go back and rewrite things you don't like later. The most important thing is to continue writing. The more time you don't write, the further you get away from your characters, plot, everything. The whole thing will be lost if you spend too much time being a pansy and saying "Oh noess!! My story sucks buttermilk!!1!11!" I'm just as guilty of this as you--but I continue to write.

11. You may laugh at this one, but bear with me. Imagine, right now, that you are calling a long-lost friend (or someone close to you, or whoever) and the first words out of your mouth are these: "Guess what?!" A story will flow from there.

12. If you need, I will help you. If you want, I will give you a topic and give you a certain amount of time to write anything you can about it. Then, you can either send me what you've written, or, if you're shy, you can keep it to yourself. I have nothing better to do. I shall aspire to help unfortunate writers who have been ensnared by the dreaded Block.

13. Write about something you have never seen before. For me, I could write about a waterfall. Here goes: Cold, hard water thundered down the breathtaking falls. Ice crystals from the spray scattered upon the snow covered ground, as the weather was frigid. The smell of salty water was heavy on the air, and I breathed deeply. "It's lovely here," I mused as I adjusted my black coat, fully away that that phrase was a huge understatement. <---see? I know it wasn't the best, but it paints a picture in your mind, doesn't it? You see what I see, you smell what I smell--even though I have never seen a waterfall. You are not required to see something to write about it.

14. Keep a pen, pencil, and paper next to your bed, or wherever you sleep. Million dollar ideas strike at three in the morning. Trust me. In your life, you will have at least one epiphany that occurs at some ungodly hour in the morning. You will then assume you will remember it in the morning, and act upon it then. YOU WILL NOT REMEMBER. This has happened to me. Keep a pen and a pencil, because the pen might not work. Thus where the pencil comes in. And paper to write on. I keep a notebook and a sketchbook by the bed, as well as my laptop, a pencil, an eraser, and a set of watercolor pencils. Don't miss out on a great idea because you are too stubborn to keep a paper, pen, and pencil by your bed.

15. Discover what genre your novel (or whatever piece) is in. Is it fantasy? Romance? Horror? What? Figure it out, and write it at the top of a page. Time yourself. Give yourself one minute to write as many words as possible underneath your "title" of sorts. These words should have something to do with your genre. If not, write them anyway because they might help later. Write as much as possible. For example, if your genre is fantasy, you could write.. "sword, princess, goblin, abyss, flying cow, dark elf, castle, fortress, salvation, purity," etc etc etc. Your mind will follow a subconscious train of thought, and it will take you where it wants you to be. Keep the list for later--you may need it.

16. Make a list of all characters, special objects, and places you want to use. Then describe them. The more you know about these things, the better you can describe them. Ideas will come, so be open to them. Keep this and add to it as you want.

17. Reward yourself for writing. Writing is physically easy for most, but mentally and emotionally, it is a tedious process. Allow milestone marks. My milestones are at pages--each page I complete, I will get a drink, or eat some chocolate, or whatever. Sometimes, I can skip a milestone mark and keep writing. Generally, it's best to take your milestone treats. That way, you remember that writing is not killing you, and that you are rewarding yourself for a job well done.

18. Write exactly what you are thinking. This will help you learn what your own thinking process is like, and will make you more attuned to yourself. Here is mine for right now: "I'm trying to help people with their various issues with being a writer. Even though I sometimes suffer from this, I feel I can help other people because I overcome it easily with these techniques. I hope someone finds them useful, and I doubt many people will read this.. I hope they do though! I hope it helps someone because I really want to help people in any way I can. I hope someone favorites it too! Is that selfish? I don't want to be selfish because selfish people don't have friends, and I want to have good friends everywhere.." It can go on and on. The sentence structure and word choice don't matter. You can have as many run-on sentences as you want.

19. Finish this thought and answer it yourself: "What if...." Your mind will literally fly. You can also try writing about something you fear deeply, and what would happen to you and others if that incident occurred. Heck, ask in a poll here on DA. Ask, "what if ___ happened?" would you *insert choices here* or other (comment please)? Read others' reactions. It might give you ideas!

20. Remember why you started writing in the first place. Why are you writing? What drives you to write? Remembering your inspiration and cause can cure your block.

21. Google random things. I remember once, I googled the word "bloated" and looked on Google images and saw a fat squirrel. I mean it was cute, and it made me laugh. In fact, if you do that yourself, you will still see the squirrel in the second picture. Some of it may be funny, but some of it is oddly entertaining, and you'll be surprised at what ideas may find you.

22. Try the "word association" game. If you don't know how to play, you pick a word. Then, you write what word comes next to your mind, and so on. So, if we start with the word "pink," my words would start like this... "pink, bow, Sailor Moon, pretty, dress, princess, castle, knight, shining armor, sword, creature, big, scary, movie..." etc etc etc. Don't think about what you write, just write exactly what comes to mind.

23. Write about having nothing to write about. You'd be surprised at what your mind and heart would like to say to you--writing brings out the best in people, in my opinion. Watch where your thoughts lead.

24. Stop over-editing. Many writers suffer from wanting everything to be perfect, so they spend countless hours on one page fretting over a certain paragraph, or description, or whatever. Lay off it! Go on to the next page. Worry about this page later! You might like it when you see where it's headed.

25. Remember, no one can write the same novel you can. If you were to give a complete novel to me, minus the last page, it would not be the same as it would if you wrote it. We all see and experience different things, so it is virtually impossible for us to write the same exact novel. Be comforted by this. No one but you can finish your novel the right way, and only you can determine what is right.



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Hope these tips helped! I got a request from someone who needed some assistance with her writer's block. Happy writing!!


Bianca